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God, which I hope is the cafe with many of you, will not this fuffice to give you comfort amidst all your diftreffes? Can you diftruft the wisdom of your heavenly Father, or fufpect poifon in the cup that comes from him? What man is there of you, whom, if his fon afk bread, will he give him a stone, or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a ferpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more thall your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?

Besides, affliction can be no furprise to you, fince we are exprefsly told, that the way to the kingdom of heaven is through many tribulations; and fince that covenant, which fecures us against eternal mifery, nowhere promises exemption from temporal afflictions; nay, affures us, that they fhall not be withheld, if God fees them neceffary to recal our wandering fteps, or to quicken our pace to our eternal home. And here let me prevail on fuch as are real Christians, to reflect on the temper of their minds, when first they made choice of God, as their God in Chrift. Say, was not the spirit of refignation, then, univerfal and complete? Did you then make an exception of any of your favourite enjoyments, of your riches, your health, or your honours? All these were, then, fwallowed up in your concern for the one thing needful. When the burden of fin lay heavy on your fouls, when the wrath of God, the curfe of the law, and the fears of hell befet you on every fide; fay, how happy were you to efcape that danger, had it even been with the lofs of every worldly comfort? And, now that you have got a nearer prospect of heaven, do you repent the choice you have made, or think that you have purchafed heaven at too great a price? You dare not; I am perfuaded you do not: and yet impatience has fomething in it very like this. Strive then againft it, and you will not find the burden fo galling as it otherwife would be.

SER

SERMON IX.

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

PART II.

Pfalm cxix. 75.-I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that in faithfulness thou haft afflicted me.

UT, as general arguments upon any subject, however conclufive in their own nature, are frequently loft, for want of fkill or care in applying them; I fhall now endeavour,

IV. To fpecify, Fourthly, Some of those particular fituations which call forth the exertion of this amiable fpirit. And let us attend,

1. To poverty, which is, no doubt, heavier to those who have been reduced to it from a state of affluence. Yet, even here, fuch as attentively confider, will find many arguments againft impatience. Riches do not recommend us to God, nor does poverty fink us below his notice. It is the frame and temper of the heart which God regards, and not any of thofe outward circumstances by which one man is raised above another. I do not mean, that riches are in themselves pernicious; they are a talent put into our hands, which, by a wife improvement, may endear us the more to God, our great Master. Neither

I mean that poverty is conftantly attended with

fpiritual

fpiritual advantage; for a man may be poor indeed, in every fenfe of the word; he may be poor and wretched in this life, and miferable in the next. But the fcope of my argument is to show, that neither riches nor poverty have the leaft connection with our happiness in a future ftate; and that therefore no man has any reafon to complain, on account of being reduced in his circumftances in this world.

Allow me to afk you a few questions. Are you reduced through your own mifmanagement? In this cafe, blame yourself; but do not murmur against God for you are already liable to his difpleasure, by fquandering away that which fhould have been improved to his honour. Or, if you have been reduced to poverty by misfortune rather than imprudence, ftill you ought to remember that God has the difpofal of your lot, whofe undoubted province it is to provide for all his family, and give to every one a portion, as he fees convenient. If your former plenty was only made the inftrument of luxurious and fenfual enjoyment, you have no occafion to wonder that it is now taken from you. Rather wonder that God did not take you from it by a fudden death, before you had leifure to repent. But, if your confcience bear wittefs that you endeavoured to honour God with your fubftance while you had it, the fting of adverfity muft to you be almoft extracted; and you may confider it, not as a punishment, but as a trial of your faith and fubmiffion to God. You are now caft into the furnace, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than that of gold that perifheth, may be found to the praife and the glory of God. Our Lord proved the fincerity of the young man in the gofpel, by defiring him to fell all he had, and give it to the poor. You are now brought to a fimilar fituation. Let this, therefore, awaken your attention, left, like him, you be found wanting, and left your goodnefs, which in profperity glittered like precious metal, fhould difcover itself to be base and counterfeit, when brought to the touchstone. L

2. Let

2. Let us attend to the reproach of the world. This trial is, doubtlefs, a fevere one; and yet, even here, there is no reason to murmur or complain. If the reproaches which we meet with are juft, we ought to lament the occafion, and amend our conduct for the future. But suppose the censure altogether without foundation, may it not be permitted for wife purposes? And I am apt to believe, that falfe afperfions, however vexatious in the mean time to those who labour under them, are yet capable of many excellent improvements. Thus, a man who fets too high a value on the opinion and applaufe of his fellow-creatures, and who is ready to endeavour to attain it by indirect methods, may by this means have his eyes opened, to fee the impropriety of a violent regard for the efteem of the world. It will show the neceflity alfo of approving ourselves to God, the Witnefs and only infallible Judge of the characters of men. The opinions of mankind are feldom right, and always liable to abuse; nor are the friendships of the world extremely conftant. The appearance of a ftorm may foon banish our general friends; for few have refolution to fupport a character which the general voice condemns: but the unchangeable God never varies in his judgment. Whom he juftifies, none can condemn; and whom he loves, he loves unto the end. Befides, bearing the reproach of men, may ferve to render the Redeemer more precious in our esteem. And furely we ought never to complain of any thing that may be improved to this purpofe. Does reproach, does calumny, fit heavy on your mind? How much then do you owe to Christ, who, for your fake, became of no reputation, and endured the contradiction of finners! He was accused of drunkennefs, of gluttony, and many other vices; and yet, in fpite of all, perfifted in his gracious defign of faving a loft and ruined world. What an admirable opportunity then are they favoured with, of increafing in love and gratitude to their great

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great Redeemer, who find reproach fitting heavy on their minds !

3. Let us attend to the lofs of dear and valuable friends. This is an affliction, under which, to a certain degree, we may, with propriety, indulge our feelings. When we reflect on our former happinefs in the fociety of our friends, on the agreeable moments we have fpent together, and on all thofe obliging offices which render their memory dear to us; and are obliged to conclude all with this melancholy reflection, that now they are for ever gone, never, never to return to this earth again: O, what regret, what bitter affliction iuft diftrefs the foul! Affiction, indeed, the more exceflive, because it can never be relieved. Yet, this is not fin; humanity calls for tears; religion does not forbid them: Jefus wept at the grave of Lazarus. But beware that your forrow does not exceed its bounds; remember it is the doing of the Lord. Let your tears then run in another channel; and mourn not fo much for your fufferings, as for fin, which brought death into the world. And if it appear fo terrible, in the lofs of one friend, how much more dreadful must it appear, when you confider that it could provoke the merciful God to fubject all his creatures to the King of terrors. This is the proper improvement of every dif penfation of this kind. We fhould view the caufe in the effects, and then we would difcover, that it is not death, but fin, that is our enemy: and the greater enemy, on this account, that it not only feparates our friends from us, but, if not repented of, if not forgiven, will eternally feparate us from God, our best friend; " for evil cannot dwell with him, " and he abhorreth all the workers of iniquity." Happy would it be, if we could convert thefe mournful occafions into opportunities of fuch wholesome inftruction. Happy, if, inftead of vainly wishing back our friends to us, we would, by a careful imitation of whatever was excellent in their character, Audy fo to live, that we may at laft attain to the hap

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